1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a multi-use vacuum cleaner, and, more particularly, to a vacuum cleaner having a vacuum module which is detachably mounted to a power foot and support member.
2. Description of Related Art
Historically, consumers have had the option of two different electrically powered vacuum cleaners. The first option was an upright vacuum cleaner comprising a cleaning foot upon which is pivotably mounted a handle supporting the vacuum motor and bag. An upright can be extremely effective in cleaning floors and carpet. However, an upright is not suitable for cleaning stairs, upholstery or drapery.
The second option for electric vacuums is a canister vacuum which typically comprises a canister housing the vacuum motor and bag. The canister is usually supported by casters. A long hose and wand are attached to an inlet of the canister. The wand can be attached to a cleaning foot or can be used with tools such as brushes or nozzles for cleaning hard-to-reach places such as stairs, upholstery, curtains and automobile interiors.
A recent trend in the vacuum cleaner industry has been to develop multi-use upright vacuum cleaners. These machines combine the compact structure and vertical orientation of an upright vacuum with the hose and wand features of a canister, thereby selectively providing the function of cleaning floors and/or alternatively cleaning drapes and upholstery within a short distance from the vacuum cleaner. Examples of this type of multi-use machine are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,106 to Stein et al., issued Sep. 11, 1990, U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,536 to Tapp, issued Jul. 19, 1983, U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,452 to Sumerau, issued Mar. 14, 1989, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,519,113 to Hipple, issued May 29, 1985.
A second multi-use vacuum disclosed in the prior art combines the features of a canister and an upright machine. The user must mount a baffle or other housing having a hose and wand extending therefrom to the bottom of the power foot of an upright vacuum. Examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,237 to Chateauneuf et al., issued May 11, 1976, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,505 to Clowers, issued Feb. 22, 1977.
Still yet another approach to expanding the applications of use for an upright vacuum is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,089 to Oxel, issued Oct. 8, 1985, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,493 to Buchtel, issued Aug. 28, 1984. In these references, a small hand-held vacuum is selectively mounted to an upright vacuum. The hand-held vacuum has its own motor and bag separate and distinct from the vacuum motor and bag of the upright. Thus, two vacuum cleaner units are provided in a single assembly.
Each of the several different prior multi-use upright vacuum cleaners suffers from one significant deficiency: namely, the ability to use and operate the detachable wand or hand held vacuum independently of or a significant distance from the body of the upright vacuum without providing a separate independent vacuum cleaner. For example, none of the prior multi-use vacuum cleaners can be effectively used for cleaning a flight of stairs. The known detachable wands are not long enough to span the entire length of a typical flight of stairs. Therefore, the user must carry the vacuum cleaner housing at least partially up the stairs. Moreover, most upright vacuum cleaners are wider than the average stairs. None of the wands are long enough to allow a user to easily clean a surface which is more than approximately eight feet from the body of the upright vacuum cleaner. Therefore, the known multi-use vacuum cleaners are not suitable for cleaning high surfaces where the machine can't reach.